Murderer said he targeted fellow lifer because he was a ‘big bully’

A murderer slashed the neck of a fellow lifer during a row in a laundry room at Wakefield jail.

Robert Richardson, 35, yesterday (Jan 2) told a court he slashed Darren Taylor at the maximum security prison because he was a “big bully”.

Richardson, from Dewsbury, was caged in 2005 for strangling his lover Susan Cooper to death with his bare hands. He hid her body in a cupboard, only moving it when his new 17-year-old girlfriend complained of the smell.

He then tried to dump the 30-year-old’s corpse in a wheelie bin in the Calder and Hebble Canal. But the plastic bin floated, so he hid her body in a nearby bracken-covered bank where it was later found by walkers.

Richardson has a conviction for attacking another inmate in 2010 when he repeatedly stabbed prisoner David Proctor in the face with a ballpoint pen. He is now being held at Whitemoor, in Cambridgeshire, and appeared at Leeds Crown Court via video link.

He appeared to be laughing and joking as details of the latest offence were read out in court. At one point he did dance moves as judge Sally Cahill was shown a CCTV recording of his latest attack, which happened last July.

Richardson approached Taylor in the laundry area and asked him to do some washing. When Taylor refused he was struck from behind by Richardson and then received blows to the face.

Taylor ran after his attacker before realising he had slash wounds to the ear, neck, hand and mouth.

Richardson admitted the attack and pleaded guilty to wounding with intent. He was not represented by lawyers yesterday, telling the court he did not wish to waste taxpayers’ money.

Richardson said: “The person that got injured and attacked was basically a big bully. I am only small, at 5ft 7ins and of slender build.

“In prison you get people going around thinking they are big and hard and can push people about. People don’t push me about. That’s why what happened, happened.”

He added: “If I had had my chance I would have ended his life.”

Richardson said he was now being held on a wing for prisoners with dangerous and severe personality disorders. He said he was about to go on a five-year programme to address his violent behaviour.

Richardson was handed a four-year sentence, to run concurrent to his life term of at least 16 years.